Super Bowl Numbers

Super Bowl LII (52 to you non-Romans) will take place at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, February 4. We could have had the Jacksonville Jaguars in their first Super Bowl appearance facing the Minnesota Vikings as the first team to ever play a Super Bowl in their home stadium – but neither team prevailed in their Conference Championship game. Instead, we have the New England Patriots making their record tenth appearance and facing the hungry Philadelphia Eagles – who have never won a Super Bowl and haven’t been to one since 2005.

We can’t predict who will win, but we can predict that massive amounts of money will change hands as a result of the Super Bowl, in a number of ways. Think about these fun financial facts and other Super Bowl numbers as you enjoy the game and fight over the last chip in the bowl.

Ticket Prices – According to TicketIQ, tickets to Super Bowl LII may be the most expensive in history. The average asking price for a ticket, five days out from the game was $6,922, well above the $3,764 at the same point last year. The average asking price was just over $9,000 after the divisional championship game. Imagine the price if the Vikings had won the right to host!

Prices typically drop as the game approaches. Super Bowl ticket averages typically settle in the $2,500-$3,000 range, but this year appears set to break that trend. The final average may top $4,000.

Other Expenses – Assuming a $4,944 ticket, CNN Money expects the average attendee to spend $6,639 on the Super Bowl, including $283 for airfare, $1,237 for lodging, and $93 for game-day food and drink.

Advertising – A 30-second commercial spot is expected to run $5-$5.5 million, similar to that of last year’s Super Bowl (and perhaps over $100,000 for every “dilly” uttered in Bud Light commercials).

Betting – There’s more Super Bowl betting going on than the squares in your office pool. According to the Nevada Gaming Commission, bets on Super Bowl LI reached nearly $138.5 million, topping the 2016 amount of over $132.5 million – and that’s just the legal betting. With the current trajectory, Super Bowl betting could reach $150 million in two years.

Average Viewers – The NFL has suffered a noticeable ratings drop in the 2017 season. Viewership is off 9.7% from the previous regular season, 13% from the wild card games, and 16% for the divisional playoffs.

Every Super Bowl since 2010 has attracted over 100 million U.S. viewers – although last year’s 111.3 million continued a two-year decline from the 2015 peak of 114.4 million U.S. viewers. Will the spectacle of the Super Bowl overcome ratings trends? The NFL and its advertisers surely hope so.

Tom Brady – Love him or hate him, Tom Brady’s Super Bowl record stands out. A victory will extend Brady’s record of Super Bowl wins to six – two above Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw – and leave the Patriots tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most franchise Super Bowl wins at six.

Weather – The coldest kickoff temperature for the actual game was a chilly 39 degrees Fahrenheit in Super Bowl VI – in, of all places, New Orleans – where the Dallas Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins 24-3. Super Bowl LII will not feature “frozen tundra”, since the game will be held indoors. However, Super Bowl LII may break the record for the lowest high outdoor temperature on game day (16°F in 1982, Pontiac, MI). The game day high may not get out of single digits.

Will Tom Brady prevail again or will backup quarterback Nick Foles lead the Eagles to Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl win? In either case, let’s hope for a game that’s at least as entertaining as the commercials.

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